EPA Mississippi EPSCoR Program

• EPA Award Number R821832-01-0 to the University of Mississippi, with subcontracts to Jackson State University, Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi

• Award Period October 1, 1995 - September 30, 1997

• Award Amount $878,027 (EPA: $323,667; Matching: $551,027)

• Principal Investigator Dr. Stephen T. Threlkeld, Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677

  1996 Experimental Results 1997 Experimental Plans Upcoming Project Activities

Program Description

• The purpose of this program is to stimulate and enhance the quality of academic research in Mississippi. The primary research objective is to foster the study of singular and interactive fate and effects of agricultural materials in wetland ecosystems.

Research Project Description

• The research project is focused on experimental mesocosm study of the main and interactive effects of runoff of three agricultural chemicals (atrazine, monosodium acid methane arsonate, chlorpyrifos) on wetland ecosystems. In our first experiment (started in June 1996) the three agrichemicals and methyl mercury were applied to 66 of the 500-liter mesocosms in a center-point enhanced 2^4 factorial design, and multiple endpoints were monitored for the following 94 days, including 32 days after half of the mesocosms were redosed. The endpoints included assays of chemical mutageneticity on bacteria and fish, biochemical responses of plants, invertebrates and fish to the chemicals, organism survivorship, community structure and ecosystem responses (productivity), as well as partitioning of the chemicals in water, sediment, fish and plants in the wetland mesocosms. In May 1997, the three agrichemicals will be added to 72 of the mesocosms at ambient and reduced levels of UV-B radiation, to assess the interactive effects of commonly used agrichemicals and UV-B radiation.

Scientific Staff Click here for telephone, fax and e-mail directory

• University of Mississippi: Dr.William Benson, Dr. Carol Britson, Dr. Stephen D'Surney, Dr. Gary Gaston, Dr. Tyrus McCarty, Dr. Clifford Ochs, Dr. Daniel Schlenk, Dr. Sumon Sinha, Dr. Marc Slattery, Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, Mr. Jimmy Allgood, Mr. Robert Baca, Ms. Hope Belk, Mr. Bryan Brooks, Ms. Julie Chambers, Ms. Carol Cleveland, Ms. Abir El-Alfy, Mr. David Felder, Ms. Karen Konzen, Mr. Bruce Libman, Mr. Ken Overstreet, Ms. Virginia Powers, Mr. Bo Salamon, Mr. Jeffrey Steevens, Ms. Kathryn Valentine
• Jackson State University: Dr. Huey-Min Hwang, Dr. Wen-Hsun Yang, Ms. Neisee MacArthur
• University of Southern Mississippi: Dr. Judy Lytle, Dr. Tom Lytle
• Mississippi State University: Dr. Charles Rice, Dr. Laurie Roszell, Ms. Robyn Arnold